Forum rules
All messages are the expression of the contributors, who are solely responsible for the content. The forum does not endorse any views. ZERO TOLERANCE for any obscene language, advertisement, lies/rumors and attack of this forum.

From the time of Huang Di (黃帝) or the Yellow Emperor, more than 4600 years ago, there had been continuous violent conflicts between the agricultural Han Chinese in what is modern China and the non-Han Chinese herdsmen living in the north. All along the ill-defined ecological border of North China, pillaging and plundering committed by the non-Han Chinese went unabated through the centuries. This constant menace resulted in enormous efforts to defend the country against the marauding herdsmen.

The States of Yan (燕 present day Beijing city 北京市 in Hebei province 河北省), Zhao (趙 present day Handan city 邯鄲市 in Hebei province), and Qin (秦 present day Fengxiang county 鳳翔縣 in Shaanxi province 陝西省) were the three northern vassal States during the Zhou Dynasty (周朝 1134BC to 256BC). Each of these three States built walls along their northern frontiers as a defensive measure.

The State of Yan (燕國 766BC to 222BC), whose capital is now present day Beijing (北京), erected a long wall from Liaoning (遼寧) Peninsula in Hebei province across the northern frontier to the north of Beijing.

The State of Zhao (趙國 453BC to 228BC), with its capital at the present day Handan (邯鄲) city in Hebei province, also constructed a long wall along its northern frontier from the north of Beijing city to the bank along the great bend of the Huanghe (黃河 Yellow River).

The State of Qin (秦國 777BC to 207BC), whose capital is the present day Xi An (西安) city in Shaanxi province (陝西省), built another long wall on its northern frontier from the bank of the Yellow River to the plateau of Longxi (隴西) in Gansu province (甘肅省).

In 246BC, a very clever and capable but ruthless man became the 37th ruler of the State of Qin. He was called Ying Zheng (嬴政 259BC to 210BC) and he had a vision that one day he would conquer all the other States in the land and unite this vast land into one big empire. He accomplished his vision in 221BC after all the states in the land were subjugated by him.

Ying Zheng adopted the title of the First Emperor of Qin (秦始皇帝). He established the Qin Dynasty (秦朝 221BC to 207BC). He introduced the Qin administrative system throughout his empire which he divided it into 36 Prefectures (三十六郡) and later to 41. The First Emperor also introduced a uniform system of weights and measure, adopted a standard coinage and even standardized the axle lengths of wagons. He uniformed the way of writing the Chinese characters as different State had its own way of writing. However, he was also known to be extravagant and rude to his subjects. He built roads, canals and many magnificent palaces.

At about the same time the various non-Han tribes in the north also united themselves into a large political union which proved to be a formidable antagonist to the Qin Empire. The strife between the agricultural Qin subject farmers and the non-Qin nomads intensified. At times the Qin armies drove their nomadic rivals back to the desert but the intrusions continued.

In 214BC, to secure the northern frontiers, the First Emperor ordered his greatest general, Meng Tian (蒙恬), known for his invention of the Chinese character brush made of animal hair, to mobilize all the able-bodied subjects in the country to link up all the walls already erected by his ancestors and by the States of Yan and Zhao.

Thousands upon thousands of men were conscripted and forced to march north to work on the construction. These workers were generally subjected to great hardships. Up in the mountain wilderness, usually dressed only in rags they had to endure the bitterly cold northern winter, frequent hunger, exhaustion and cruel supervisors. Sadly, untold numbers died from a combination of all these factors.

The Great Wall, for all its majesty, is today a silent monument to faceless men and untold stories of unimaginable hardship, cruelty and starvation. Fable along with fact has survived to this day and the story of Meng Jiangnu is one of the all-time favourites.

Meng Jiangnu (孟姜女) was a woman of exceptional beauty. She married a man by the name of Wan Xiliang (萬喜良) , who was shortly afterwards drafted by the Qin authorities and pressed into work gangs.

Meng Jiangnu had no news about her husband and she began to harbour the worst fears about the safety and well-being of her husband. Months later, talk was rife in her village that construction of the Great Wall had reached an advanced stage. Men were working in the far north where the winters were freezing cold and hunger and exhaustion common place.

Meng Jiangnu made a quilted suit and boots for her husband. However, there was no one to take the warm clothing to him. The roads to the north were long and tortuous and passed through many unknown regions. However, her longing for her husband was so strong that she decided to undertake the dangerous journey by herself.

Meng Jiangnu started the arduous journey by walking in a general northerly direction and plotting the route as she went along. She walked and walked. She climbed mountain after mountain. She crossed river after river. Despite suffering from hunger, blistered feet and the biting cold weather she continued obstinately along her journey.

Finally, she arrived at her destination after seemingly insurmountable odds. She knew then that the monstrous construction which twisted like a snake and disappeared in the distant mountains was the Great Wall.

Relief soon gave way to anxiety. Every worker she met and asked, knew nothing about the whereabouts of her husband. Day after day she persisted with her enquiries but drew a blank every time. Nobody seemed to know her husband. Finally she came to a group of workers who had worked with her husband before. They told her that Wan Xiliang had died of exhaustion after days of continuous hard labour without a break. They also told her that he had been buried under the Great Wall. She asked to be led to the section of the wall under which her husband was entombed. Arriving at the spot she began to cry. She cried and cried. She cried unceasingly for many days and many nights. Her grief was so great that God had pity on her. It raised a big snow storm. The section of the wall under which Wan Xiliang was buried collapsed, delivering forth her husband's body.

"The Great Wall was torn down by the tears of Meng Jiangnu" The news spread far and wide throughout the country.

The reports of the fallen wall reached the Qin Court. The First Emperor was shocked and in disbelief. He wanted to go and witness the spectacle for himself. He traveled north to see the woman whose tears were so powerful that they could tear down his wall.

When the First Emperor confronted Meng Jiangnu, he was surprised to see the bewildering beauty before him. He was awe-struck and speech deserted him. Finally, he simply said to her,

"You are so beautiful.You are like a fairy.I want to marry you".

Meng Jiangnu responded immediately and pondered. What would she achieve if she were to accept his proposal? Nevertheless, she reluctantly agreed to marry him. But he had to grant her three wishes. Firstly, she wanted her late husband's body to be placed in a lanmu wood coffin. Secondly, she wanted the Emperor to give her husband a state funeral. Finally he and all his ministers and generals to mourn for her husband. The First Emperor gladly agreed to all three conditions.

The funeral was arranged exactly as Meng Jiangnu desired. Behind the coffin walked the Emperor and all his ministers and generals. The spot she chose as her husband's final resting place was an overhanging cliff under which the ocean roared. The funeral party arrived at the cliff side. The First Emperor and all his ministers and generals stood solemnly at the grave side of Wan Xiliang.

With her husband finally laid to rest, Meng Jiangnu stopped weeping. She slowly rose from her knees and with a last glance at her husband's grave, threw herself into the arms of the roaring sea. She immediately disappeared beneath the foaming waters.

Years later, people built a shrine in her cherished memory at the very spot where she committed the ultimate sacrifice. The shrine is believed to be still standing to this today.

When all the walls were eventually connected they formed an incredibly long wall and came to be called "Wan Li Chang Cheng 萬里長城 " (Ten Thousand Li Long Wall). It measured more than 4800 li and became a permanent barrier separating the agricultural Han Chinese to the south and the the nomadic horse-mounted herdsmen to the north.

It is an awe-inspiring sight even after so many centuries. When orbiting the globe an astronaut up in the space said,

"The Great Wall of China is the only construction on earth erected by man that can be seen from here".